The Game
by SaavyBitch
Summary: What happens when Lucy Heartfilia wakes up in her favorite video game and meets a certain pink haired dragon slayer? How will she get back home? Does she want to go back home? What is Natsu hiding? and who is following her on her adventure across Fiore and the seven kingdoms?
1. Prologue

Lucy hated school. Hated it so much her blood would boil just thinking about it. She would drag her feet away from her bed and all the way to school, the same tedious process everyday. Just thinking about those preppy assholes made her want to crawl back into bed and stay there forever. Her only saving grace was _Dragons Gate_. This game gave Lucy something to live for; her parents hated it but knew better than to comment on it. Lucy runs home from school to finish her homework and turn on her console and holding the remote in her hands electrifies her slim fingers with energy. Her attention is focused and completely absorbed in her task; to defeat the dragon king and restore peace to Fiore.


	2. Dragons Gate

**Lucy's POV:**

Only 5 more minutes of this hellhole and I can go home and play...

4...

3...

2...

_RING!_

Thank god I have no homework today, and it's Friday! Maybe I'll finally beat Deliora, he's one of the hardest bosses I've encountered but once I beat him I'll be 7 levels away from defeating the Dragon King. I just have to get home.

I throw my school bag by the door and run upstairs.

"WELL HELLO TO YOU TOO!" my mom yells from the kitchen. I run downstairs and peck her on the cheek and make my way back to my room. I change into comfortable clothes and turn on my console. YES! I'm so excited!

I chose to be a melee fighter over a mage, it makes the game a bit harder but I guess I like it that way. I start the game from where I left off and the gates to Deliora's dungeon swing open.

My fingers run over the controls, preparing for his attack. I know when it will come… a large figure looms from the darkness and casts a shadow across the rocky floor. I wont make the same mistake; I hide my avatar behind a rock rather than taking it straight on. Its defense is astounding and I'll have to tire it down if I want to do any significant amount of damage. Okay its gonna turn toward me now… I run out from behind the rock and run up his leg, using my sword as a form of balance. Once I'm by his waist I grab hold of his belt and swing myself up. I stab his stomach and use my secret skill.

My fingers glide over the controls and my thumbs begin to cramp but I refuse to falter. My sword grows 8 times in size and tears a large gash in the stomach of the giant. He roars in pain and tries to shoo my avatar off but his attempts are futile; my sword is in too deep and my grip is too tight.

His life bar begins to deplete but not nearly enough. I pull out my sword and my avatar falls to the ground in a heap. I don't have enough armor or defense skills so I hide behind a different rock. I let my avatar rest and then run circles around him, he stumbles over himself trying to catch me. My avatar stumbles when her foot falls in a shallow hole and she falls flat on the ground; her sword skids away and returns to its normal size. _Shit. Shit. Shit_.

My hands begin to sweat, my finger slips over the control and I drop it. Just as I hastily bend down to pick it up Deliora lifts his massive foot and stomps right on my avatars body, blood splatters on the floor of the dungeon and large white letters dance across my screen.

**LOSER.**

I throw my controller on my bed in a fit of rage. Who needs _Dragons Gate_ anyway? I plop onto my bed and drift off to sleep.

Light streams in through my window, and I get up groggily. No school today. No homework either. I might try fighting Deliora again. I'm about to turn on my console when I see someone outside my window. Huh? My parents work on weekends so there shouldn't be anyone home.

I sneak downstairs, grab a knife from my kitchen and open the front door.

"Hello?" I step out a bit more and see her standing by the garden.

"Excuse me? You need to leave, this is private property!" I pull out my phone to call the police when she appears two feet in front me.

"There's no need Lucy, I know everything about you and I need to show you something important. Go ahead and try to call the police, they can't see me." She walks, no, more like glides toward the small patch of forest next to my house.

"My name is Mavis by the way" she smiles and glides forward.

"Hey wait! I don't know who you are! I'm not gonna follow you into some forest! I'm gonna get gang rapped or shipped to some weird country to be a slave!" I look down and notice I'm in little pajama shorts and a t-shirt.

"Plus I'm not dressed!" I stumble after her with my knife tight in my grip. Why am I following her!

I'm gonna get myself killed.

**Hey guys! I hope this first chapter wasn't too confusing! I have a lot of really good ideas for this fanfic so bear with me!**


	3. The Prophecy

**Lucy POV:**

The light of dawn peeks from the rooftops but not enough to completely light my way... and I still have no clue what's going on.

"HEY! MAVIS! COULD YOU SLOW DOWN!" I yell as I try to keep up with her.

The forest is dark. _Really_ dark. I hold my hand out in front of me, the one with the knife.

Mavis glows. I mean literally, this girl has an aura of light around her, so it's easy to follow her. I trip over a root and fall on my face. _Ouch_. That was stupid. I try to sit up but the ground starts spinning and I plop back down.

"Mavis" I attempt to call out to her, but I can't move. I can't see. I feel my head hit the ground and then nothing.

Light.

That's the first thing I'm conscious of.

It's so bright that it takes me 10 minutes to open my eyes completely.

Weird trees and mushrooms.

That's the second thing I'm conscious of.

I have a sword.

That's the last thing I'm conscious of. A sword, and not just any sword, but the sword that I own in _Dragons Gate_. My clothes have been replaced with my gear and the odd thing is that it's comfortable. I feel _so_ comfortable, the sword feels _right, _and my gear gives me a sense of safety and lightness. Like I could float off the ground.

I smile, and then begin to laugh. I swing my sword through the air and _feel _it, like an extension of my arm. Curiosity wins out and I try my secret skill.

It works. My sword grows 8 times in size, and the weight is incredible, but I can manipulate its movements with ease.

I don't know what the hell is going on, but I'm loving it.

Wait a minute, where's Mavis? Where am I? Am I in _Dragons Gate_? The trees and mushrooms look familiar, and the air feels thinner than the forest back home. _Oh shit_.

"MAVIS!" I yell out. I return my sword to normal and sheath it at my belt; I walk a few steps forward when I call out her name again.

"Lucy" I hear from behind me, but it's not Mavis' voice. I spin around and come face to face with a blue haired, brown-eyed little girl.

Her brown eyes are huge, but when I really look at them they're glazed over, like she's not really here at all. She's in a simple, loose-fitting white dress and completely barefoot.

"Who are you?" I ask softly.

"My name is Wendy, and your name is Lucy Heartfilia. You've come a long way from home. Your suspicions are correct. This is the game _Dragons Gate,_ but to the people of this world it's not a game at all. I have called upon you to aid the people of this land. There is a great evil upon us and I wish for you to stop it. Do you understand?" Her voice sounds older, like it could belong to a woman, and looks odd coming out of the body of a child.

"No I don't understand. Who are you? And how did you bring me here? What evil do I have to stop and what do you mean the people of this land, isn't this just a game?" The questions that crammed my head are now rushing out, itching for some answers.

Wendy's eyes suddenly role back into her head and her feet lift off the ground. She begins to hover above me, her back unnaturally straight and her arms out stretched as if ready to embrace someone. My hairs stand on end as I hear the words coming out of her mouth.

"_The Dragon King must be slain,_

_Or Fairy Tail will die in vain._

_The Cherry Blossoms will bloom too late,_

_And the golden girl denies her fate._

_The Seven Keys will be at grasp,_

_But will the gate unlock its clasp._

_Love will mend and sow the seams,_

_But beware the figure of dark cloaked dreams_."

What the flying shit balls? What the _hell_ does that mean?

"Wendy!" I shout as I realize she disappeared. How am I going to get answers now?! I shout for her again, but without success.

Okay I can figure this out. The point of _Dragons Gate_ is to kill the Dragon King that terrorizes the land of Fiore. I don't know what Fairy Tail is or who will die.

I don't understand the whole cherry blossom thing, and taking my hair into consideration I guess I'm the golden girl… but what fate am I denying?

I don't know what she meant by the seven keys, or a gate. Maybe a Dragons Gate, but nowhere in the game is there a literal gate that you have to go through to fight the Dragon King…

Love? I don't even want to think about it… The figure of dark cloaked dreams? Am I going to get nightmares? Or going to have to fight a cloaked guy?

I'm so confused. Not to mention hungry… _starving_ actually.

I set myself down by a tree and try to calm down. Okay I need food, and somewhere to stay and figure things out.

As I rest my head against the trunk of the tree I spot a head of cherry blossom pink.

**WHO WAS THAT HEAD OF PINK HAIR!? HAHA we all know who.**

**Thanks so much for reading, and I'm so sorry for it being short! I know it's confusing as hell right now but it will make sense eventually. Please share this story with others, I have great ideas for this fic. If you have any questions or suggestions please comment on it.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS; THEY BELONG TO THE WONDERFUL HIRO MASHIMA!**


	4. Cherry Blossoms

**Hey Guys!** **Thank you all for reading (: **

**Lucy POV:**

_Pink_ hair? Who the _hell_ has pink hair?

"Oi! Pinky!" I yell as I push myself off the tree. I draw my sword and walk closer.

He reappears and walks two steps towards me. There's still a few yards between us, but that could close in just seconds.

"Who are you?" I ask sternly, I won't let him think I'm easy prey.

"His name is Natsu, and I'm Happy" pinky's lips aren't moving so who's talking?

Suddenly a blur of blue and white comes into view.

A cat. A blue, talking cat with wings.

"Your name is Happy? And Pinky over here is Natsu?" I ask as I take two steps in their direction.

"Aye!" he smiles as he lands on Pinky's shoulder.

"You're an Exceed right?" I question cautiously.

In _Dragons Gate_ there are rare pets that could benefit you in different things, an Exceed is an easy form of transportation across the map, but they're extremely expensive, and to come across the opportunity to buy one is nearly impossible.

Pinky looks surprised and opens his mouth for the first time.

"How do you know that? The people of this land don't know what Exceeds are," he looks curious and a bit confused.

I think about his remark, I need to be careful and I want more information, so I decide to answer with a question.

"What do you know of the game _Dragons Gate_?" His eyes widen and he looks genuinely surprised, like I caught him completely off guard, but he quickly composes himself. He puts his hands behind his head; his nonchalant look isn't' enough to throw me off. I _know_ what I saw. He's hiding something.

"Its an urban legend. Supposedly there are multiple dimensions and this world is a pocket in a dimension that already exists. That dimension is said to, in a way, control this one. The legend calls them the explorers, they have specific jobs here in Fiore and what not, they're main objective is to defeat the Dragon King. No one has ever seen an explorer, and no one has ever defeated the Dragon King so the idea was cast aside as a legend. It's make believe Blondie. Explorers don't exist," He grunts in defiance.

Okay, so nobody in this world knows that they are actually in a video game? How have they never seen explorers before? We walk through towns and buy from merchants; maybe they can't distinguish us from everyone else?

So that means there aren't any bosses or levels to get to the Dragon King, because if there were the town's people would have noticed. So what? Do they have a separate map for players? I'm _so_ confused. How do I find the Dragon King then?

"ie… Blondie!... Blondie!... _Hey Girl!_"

"W-What?" I come back to reality; his snapping fingers only inches from my face.

"You completely zoned out" he crosses his arms over his bare chest, with a look of annoyance painted on his face.

"Sorry, just processing… Hey! If I pay you, could you get me to the Dragon King? You sound like you know what you're talking about." I ask shyly.

He remains quiet for a few minutes, with a serious look of concentration.

"How would you pay me?" he sounds interested now.

"Anything you want, I don't have any jewels but I could get some! Or I could do you a favor? Or I-" I stop myself, if I sound desperate he won't respect me as a business partner. _Way to blow it Lucy_.

"Alright, when the time comes, you do what I ask. Okay?"

"Alright" I'm not too fond of this guy, or this agreement, but he's my only chance.

"I'm gonna explain what we need to do, so listen closely. There's the land of Fiore, and in Fiore there are seven kingdoms. In each kingdom the rulers have a key, and in order for us to pass through the Dragons Gate and find the Dragon King we have to collect all seven keys; one from each kingdom. The King and Queen will give us a job to do and once its completed successfully they will give us their key. Understand?" He raises his eyebrow, impatiently waiting for a response.

Okay so that is _not _how it's done in _Dragons Gate_. At all.

"There's something I don't understand, if it's that easy to get to the Dragon King how come no one has done it yet?" I ask out of curiosity.

"No one is brave enough, and those that are, fail," he says casually.

"The people of this land are scaredy cats!" Happy adds.

"Ehhhhhh, Happy… you're a cat," I answer quietly.

"Happy isn't a cat, he's my nakama" Natsu retorts, not even looking my way.

"Aye!" Happy yells as he flies around us.

Okay then. I'll be traveling with weirdoes, great.

"Continue…" I urge him on, ignoring the flying cat.

"Okay so were gonna start small, lets head to Wayedge. It's not far, maybe a 3 day hike up that mountain." He gestures east, and my eyes follow; the mountain is huge, and I can't even see the top.

"Okay you're the boss" I sigh and begin walking. He stays behind talking to Happy for a second, but I soon hear his footsteps not too far behind me.

I don't know how this is gonna turn out, but I can't let my guard down. He's hiding something.

At least he's cute. _Really_ cute. I blush thinking about it and mentally scold myself. It's his cherry blossom hair.

**Natsu POV: **

She's cute. _Very_ Cute.

But annoying, I honestly don't know why I'm even helping her. She's not worth the trouble, although I _am _curious; she seems a bit off.

I hope I can think up something good for her payment.

I never got her name. I'll just keep calling her Blondie; I wonder how well she could use that sword...

I watch her walk from behind. She has a cute little spring in her step; it makes her pig tails bounce.

"You liiiiiiiike her" Happy whispers in my ear. I shake him away.

"I do not, she's annoying and bossy" I turn the other way so Happy can't see my flustered cheeks.

I do not like her... I can't even if I wanted too... which I don't.

How does she know about _Dragons Gate_? I need to get more information from her, but I need her to trust me, even though I can't trust her.

I can't really trust anyone.

**THANKS FOR READING! I know this chapter was confusing so if you have any questions please feel free to ask. **

**I am putting my own ships into this so if you don't like my pairing please don't make any nasty comments. I respect other people's pairings so please respect mine. **

**HAVE A WONDEFUL NIGHT! PEACE AND BLESSINGS! xxx**


	5. Unexpected Feelings

**Okay in this chapter and the upcoming chapters Lucy and Natsu will seem a little OOC but once the plot thickens they will be more like themselves, so just bear with it! **

**Natsu POV:**

My legs are _killing_ me. We've been walking for 6 hours, without stopping might I add. I honestly don't know how Blondie hasn't broken a sweat yet. Happy has really warmed up to her, and it's annoying. She's walking a few feet in front of me with Happy in her arms; after 2 hours of walking he started complaining that he was tired so she offered to carry him. _Dumb cat_. They're chatting away, talking about irrelevant things, but when they begin to whisper and I hear my name I get curious. I walk a little closer so I can hear them clearly but not enough for them to stop talking.

"So he's in love huh?" Lucy asks teasingly.

"Aye! But she doesn't love him," Happy mumbles, he sounds really sleepy.

"Well at least now I know he's capable of displaying human emotion," she scoffs then looks down and notices Happy snoring softly in her arms. She blushes a little and holds him tighter to her chest. _Shit._ That was so fucking cute. I feel my cheeks warm up and I look down at my feet as I continue to walk.

Why is she so nice to Happy? And why does she have to be so god damn cute? I really don't like how I'm feeling right now. No one but Lisanna makes me feel this way, and I don't even know Blondie's name yet. Wait. Why were they discussing my love life? I've only ever loved Lisanna, we went to school together as kids and we dated until we were fourteen, but then my father pulled me out of school to concentrate on my magic training. We tried the whole long distance thing but it didn't work, she fell in love with someone else. That was a year ago and I still haven't gotten over her. I love her, but Happy's right, she doesn't love me.

"Natsu?"

"What?" I ask as I lift my head slowly.

She's waiting for me to catch up to her, her eyes urging me to walk faster.

"You don't need to be so nasty when you talk to me," she says softly as she continues to walk once I reach her side.

"Nasty Natsu," she mumbles with her head down.

"What did you say Blondie?"

"The name is Lucy, and I said you're _Nasty Natsu_! You don't even bother asking for my name so I'm gonna mess with yours" she hisses and then sticks her tongue out at me, making a silly/absolutely adorable face. I smirk at her, this girl is fun to tease.

"Okay Luigi!" I smile and walk ahead of her.

I hear her trying to catch up with me, but I know she can't run because of the sleeping Exceed in her arms. I glance behind me, Lucy's staring off into space with a funny scowl on her face, but it softens when she looks back down at Happy. My stomach feels weird again, and I start smiling. _NO! __BAD NATSU!_ My smile turns into a scowl. I don't know who she is, what she knows or what she wants. I don't know her but that clearly doesn't stop the effect she has on me.

**Lucy POV:**

_Jerk._ I watch him walk ahead, his stupid eyes staring off into space while his stupid feet stomp on the floor loudly. His stupid ego literally emanates from him; he has an aura of stupidity. _Asshole._ I look back down at Happy, he looks so adorable that I can't help but smile; I honestly don't know how _Nasty Natsu_ ended up with such a sweet and adorable partner. It's getting dark, and I don't want to be out in the open at night.

"Oi! Natsu! Slow down!" I call out. He sighs and turns around.

"What _Luigi_?" I'm gonna kill him, I swear.

"We need to stop for the night; I don't want to be out in the open, and honestly I'm exhausted and hungry," as if on cue my stomach grumbles, and loudly I might add. My cheeks flush and I look away from a snickering Natsu.

"Whoa, Luigi has quiet the appetite!" he laughs.

"Oh shut up will you? Lets just find a place to set camp… _Asshole_," I mumble that last part but I can tell he heard me because he frowns and furrows his eyebrows.

"LUCY! That was your _stomach_!? It was right next to my ear and I thought the mountain had collapsed!" Happy exclaims, still laying in my arms.

"Oi! Don't make fun, I haven't eaten in over 24 hours!" I poke his stomach playfully.

"What!? I would have died! Natsu can we give her some of our fish! Poor Lucy!" Happy yells as he jumps out of my arms and flies over to Natsu.

"I guess" he mumbles and looks away.

"Thanks guys," I smile and begin walking towards a cave a few yards to the right. This will do perfectly.

"Wait up Lucy!" Happy calls. He flies up to me and lands on my shoulder; I ruffle his head and continue walking, very aware of a pair of eyes burning into the back of my head.

"Hurry up Natsu!" I groan as I glance over my shoulder. He's just standing there. Staring at me. I blush a little but quickly turn away.

"What's your problem?" I mumble. I feel and overwhelming warmth pressed against my back, then he speaks directly in my ear and it's a whisper so soft and warm that I cringe when his breath makes contact with my bare neck.

"Because you are so incredibly… _bossy_, that I feel bad for whoever has to put up with your _nagging ass_." Well then. That wasn't what I was expecting.

"Well dumbass, _you're_ the one stuck with me for now so have fun feeling sorry for yourself," I snap as I push him away from me. I keep walking towards the cave, hiding my face from Happy. I don't want him to see the effect that Natsu's words had on me. That hurt a lot. I don't like being naggy and needy and bossy, and it's worse when a complete asshole drops it on me like that. I really _really_ hate him.

**Natsu POV:**

_God Lucy I am so so sorry_. I refuse to apologize because it would go against the purpose of telling her that in the first place, but god I have never felt so bad in my life. I need her to hate me, because if she hates me then she won't want to be so close to me, being around her is dangerous, If I warm up to her too much then I might spill my secrets or endanger her in someway with all of my problems. Plus I have Lisanna, but it even pained _me_ to say that, because even though she's bossy it's cute coming from her. Whoever gets stuck with her is a lucky guy in my opinion.

I know she's hurting from what I said but I'm really impressed at how she handled it. Instead of crying or cowering away from me like a normal girl would, she stood up to me and pushed me away. Even now she refuses to let me see her in distress. She's feisty and I like that. I like it a lot, but this is exactly what I'm trying to avoid. I watch her walk up to the cave, but I notice how her posture changes in a second. She tenses up but recovers in an instant and draws her sword. I begin to run up to her and Happy but I stop when I see her smirk. _She's fucking smirking_.

I look into the cave and see an enormous, furry _thing_. It has a large gaping mouth, rowed with sharp teeth, and 4 beady little eyes. Its six arms are huge and hairy, but that's not what bothers me. What bothers me is the nest of human bones it has in the corner of the cave. But what really bothers me _most_, is the fact that this tiny little girl smirks when she sees Mr. Furball. My mouth drops when I see her brown eyes darken. She wouldn't. But I misjudge her yet again, because she takes off in a run, a giddy smile on her face and charging straight for the gaping mouth that could swallow her whole in a matter of seconds.

**I love you all, PEACE AND BLESSINGS! xx**

**~ I DO NOT OWN THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS! THAT'S ALL MASHIMA! ~**


	6. Mr Furball

**BTW I know Mr. Furball is an awful name for a monster but honestly I just couldn't think of anything better, and plus it was Natsu giving him that name... need I say more? **

**Lucy POV:**

_Finally,_ some action. I've been _itching_ to fight in this form, I feel so much stronger than I did back home. I smile at the… at the… what do I call this thing?

_Fluffy._

I charge for it just as it's front legs come out into the opening. God, this thing is _huge_. To match its size I use my special skill, my sword grows and with both hands I swing it back. The gap is closing between Fluffy and I so I run up onto a rock and push myself off, springing into the air and when I'm just a bit above _Fluffy's_head I swing onto him and bring my sword down between its 4 eyes. It continues to thrash around even when I wedge it in deeper, _ah shit_. My eyes dart around looking for something else to use against this thing, when they land on Natsu. He's just standing there staring at me with a look of complete shock on his face. I smirk with satisfaction. Good, don't underestimate me next time. I don't know if Natsu knows how to fight, but he's all I have for now.

"Natsu! Are you just gonna stare at me or are you gonna help!" I yell at him from the top of _Fluffy's_head as I hold on for dear life, it keeps thrashing around trying to get my sword and I off of him. Natsu snaps back to the present and smirks. _God he looks hot._

"Happy!" he calls and lifts his arms.

"Aye!" Happy yells back as he picks Natsu up effortlessly, he flies up until they're positioned directly in front of Fluffy_ ._

"Oi Ugly! Look at me!" Natsu yells with excitement, as he flails his arms around.

_Fluffy_turns its attention away from me to the flying cat and his pink haired nakama. Natsu curls his hands in front of his mouth and takes a deep breath. I feel the magic energy rolling off of him, and it's _powerful._ He throws his head back and yells "_**Karyū no Hōkō!**_"

A pillar of flames erupts from his mouth scorching Fluffy, I withdraw my sword and jump off his back before the flames could reach me. However I fail to dodge it unscathed, the flames engulf my right arm; I scream as I fall to the ground and roll to my side. I turn my head back to the fight, Natsu has completely scorched Fluffy_,_leaving only cooked meat and a bit of fur. _What the flying fish shits was that?_ This guy is _that _powerful? What the _hell_ is he?

I sit up and clutch my right arm, it hurts a lot; I look down at the wound and immediately regret it. The skin is charred and black, what's left of it anyway, the rest is raw, blistered skin. My eyes drift to the blood seeping down my leg, I have a cut on my thigh from when I jumped off and hit the ground. I look up and see Natsu and Happy high fiving each other, but as soon as Happy notices my condition he flies over to me.

"Lusshheee!" he cries. I glance back at Natsu and for just half of a second I swear I saw a hint of worry on his smug, emotionless face.

**Natsu POV:**

_-Flashback (Lucy fighting)-_

_My god that is a big ass sword._

_How is she even carrying that thing without falling over? And how did she get it to grow like that? Can she use magic?_ _I see her spring into the air and land on Mr. Furball's head._ _So much grace, she looks like the wind itself, completely weightless but strong and dangerous._ _She buries her giant sword into its head and clings on its hilt as Mr. Furball thrashes around._

_"Natsu!" I hear her yelling for me, but I can't stop looking at her._

**_What a woman!_** _I snap back to the fight and call on Happy, I need to help her before she gets hurt._ _I use Fire Dragon Roar and burn this motherfucker into next week._

_-End of Flashback-_

I hurt her. I actually burned her, oh god. What do I do? Do I apologize? Do I make her think I don't care if I hurt her so she can hate me? I do care, I care a lot. I walk over to her and Happy, as nonchalantly as possible.

"Not bad Luigi," I smirk. God I hate myself, I am so sorry Lucy. She grunts in disgust and my heart drops a little. _Get it together Natsu!_

"You burned me you dickhead!" she's clutching her arm and I see how bad the wound is. I have a potion in my backpack, it heals wounds instantly, no matter how serious. I've been saving it for myself or happy and for something a bit more severe but I really can't handle seeing her in pain. Especially when I'm the one who caused it, but I have to keep this act up, I cant afford not to.

"Oh quit your crying! I have a potion in my backpack for wounds, your arm will be back to normal by morning," I say as annoyed as I can.

"What do I owe you for it?" she mumbles looking down at her knees. This takes me back for a second and I hesitate before answering.

"Consider it an apology, so don't say I'm not a good person," as I reach into my bag and pull out a small green vile, the sealed liquid glows as I pop open the lid. It smells like herbs and I whiff it again before pouring some onto Lucy's arm. I grab her wrist and rub it into her skin lightly. She cringes at the pain but then lets out a sigh of relief.

"God that stuff works wonderfully!" she closes her eyes and falls victim to the bliss of the potion. Thank god her eyes are closed because my face is all flustered from touching her so much, even if it's just her nasty burnt arm.

I notice the cut on her upper thigh, I have a bit of the potion left and I could use it on her. The cut looks pretty bad and it could get infected if it isn't properly taken care of.

"Lucy, you need to keep that arm elevated so keep holding it up, but I'm gonna have to put some of this on your upper thigh, is it okay if I touch you there?" I want her to know how serious I am about this; I won't touch her unless she is okay with it. Her cheeks flush and she begins blushing ferociously, she puts her head down trying to hide it, but I notice and it's the cutest thing I have ever seen. She slightly nods her head. I hike up her skirt a bit so the cut is fully exposed. She has such beautiful legs; I feel my face getting warmer so I too put my head down. I pour the remaining liquid onto the cut, and goose bumps rise up on her leg. I want to smooth them down and relax her nerves, but I know that I can't, that I shouldn't When my fingers brush over her thigh to rub in the liquid, I start shaking. She is _so__ impossibly_ soft. Now it is _my_ turn to surrender to the bliss that is Lucy.

**Lucy POV:**

"Lucy, you need to keep that arm elevated so keep holding it up, but I'm gonna have to put some of this on your upper thigh, is it okay if I touch you there?" He asks seriously. He called me Lucy? And uhhhhhh no it's not okay for you to touch me there! My legs are extremely sensitive and I don't want him taking advantage of that.

For some reason though I feel like he wouldn't, I think the seriousness in his voice is a way of him showing me that he won't touch me unless I let him. I blush a little thinking about his hands on my body, I look down before he can see and nod slowly.

I feel the cold liquid pour onto my cut and goose bumps rise up on my leg. It stings. When I feel his fingers on me I have to bite down on my lip to keep from whimpering. His touch is so soft and gentle that I don't believe it's coming from the same guy that has been traveling with me all this time. I clench my hands into fists and bite down on my lip as hard as I can. No noises Lucy! His fingers continue to swirl around and soothe my aching skin. The pain slowly ebbs away and all that I am left conscious of is his fingers brushing up and down my thigh. I feel exposed and vulnerable, but I love it. I love having his hands on me. _Eeehhhh that sounds so wrong Lucy!_ I glance at him and almost laugh. He looks like he's in a trance, he's just staring at my leg, I watch his callused fingers make patterns on my bare skin. I place a hand on his shoulder.

"Natsu," I breathe out, really praying that he stops so a whimper won't escape my lips.

"Yes?" he turns to me then back to my leg.

"Oh! Right! Sorry I was thinking about the fastest route to Wayedge through the mountain and must have lost my train of thought!" he chuckles and turns away from me.

Oh so that's what he was doing! Using my leg like a map! I feel a little disappointed that he was thinking about something else, and not about me and the intimacy of that moment. _Lucy listen to yourself!_ I pull my skirt down with a sigh and look around.

"Where's Happy?" I ask as I continue to look around.

"I don't know, I was just thinking the same thing," he mumbles. Natsu starts walking towards the pile of cooked meat and fur left by Fluffy_,_looks like we have dinner, and I can make myself a nice coat with that fur! I pull the fur out of Natsu's hands and walk into the cave, bad idea. It's still full of human bones; I have an idea and call Natsu over.

"Oi Natsu! Come burn these!" He stomps over and with his fire breath disintegrates the human remains.

"Happy!" I call into the cave.

"Here!" the sound echoes from the walls but it sounded like it came from… directly below me? I look down and see Happy with a silly grin on his face.

"You two looked like you needed some privacy so I came to check out the cave!" He snickers, my face begins to heat up. _Dumb cat._

*****ONE HOUR LATER*****

We got a fire started and luckily we're able to eat Fluffy's meat without a problem. I'm currently making my coat for when we go higher up the mountain tomorrow. I look up at Natsu and see him staring off deeper into the cave, Happy peacefully asleep between his legs.

"Oi Natsu? Thanks for healing my arm and leg today, I really appreciate it," I look him straight in the eye to prove that I really am grateful.

He sneers and looks away, "You better be worth the trouble." My heart drops a little in my chest, I don't really feel like answering back, I'm just too tired honestly. I rest my head on the mountain of fur and doze off.

"Goodnight Natsu"

**Natsu POV: **

"Goodnight Natsu" I hate myself so much. So fucking much. _I'm so sorry Lucy, Goodnight._

**If you have any questions please ask! REVIEW!** **I love you all. Peace and Blessings! xx**


	7. The Hike

**Lucy POV:**

"Luigi! Wake up, we have to go now or we'll never get there on time!" his screeching is making my ears ring and the fact that he's nudging me with his foot isn't helping either.

"Five more minutes," I mumble into the fur as it tickles my nose and I have to hold back a sneeze, probably looking like a complete idiot.

"Now! We don't have time for this bullshit!" he shoves me harder and my knee scrapes against the hard stone floor, what an _asshole_. I look down at my arm and leg; yesterday's wounds have completely healed to the point where I can't even tell exactly where they were.

"Thanks again for that potion thing, it helped a lot." I say looking up at him with sincere gratitude in my eyes.

"tsskk- whatever, just get up so we can go," he grunts and then looks away, clearly annoyed. I sigh and slowly stand up, picking up my new coat and wrapping around myself. I glance outside through the mouth of the cave and see snow falling softly. A chill runs through me and I tighten my grip on the coat.

"Here eat this," Natsu hands me a piece of smoked meat from last night, it's a pretty big piece, and I wonder if they've eaten yet.

"This is too much, have you two eaten?" I ask as I glance over at Happy that's eyeing the food greedily.

"Happy already ate some and I'm not hungry," Natsu snaps and shoots Happy a dangerous scowl.

"He's lying! He's hungry but he said he'd rather you eat!" Happy laughs and points at a very annoyed, and very red Natsu.

"Here," I rip the meat into three semi equal pieces, giving myself the smaller one. I hand the other two pieces to them, Happy runs towards me with an excited grin on his face, hands outstretched eager for the piece of meat. I turn to Natsu and my hand lingers in the air, waiting for him to accept my offering. He snatches it and grumbles a thank you; I smile and eat my portion in silence. It's still as good as last night, and I finish the last piece licking my fingers.

I stretch and wait patiently for Natsu and Happy to finish wolfing down their breakfast; we're walking towards the mouth of the cave when I feel the cold air hit my face and shiver, it's _really_ cold. I look to my left and see Natsu and Happy strolling along unbothered by the drop of temperature.

"How d-did it g-get so c-c-cold over n-night? We're not e-even that h-high up-p the m-mount-t-tain," My teeth clatter as I try to speak, making it almost impossible to understand me.

"Well this area is known for having freak weather changes, it gets worse as we go higher up the mountain. So basically you're gonna go from hiding in that fur trap to wanting to toss it down the mountain." He says and locks his hands behind his head. Well for right now I'm _freezing_. I don't know how he isn't a Popsicle right now, all he has for warmth is that scarf. Maybe it's his fire magic that keeps him warm. Speaking of, what magic does he use? He said _Fire Dragon Roar _yesterday while we were fighting and a pillar of flames erupted from his mouth. Is it like dragon magic? Is he connected to the Dragon King? I need to find out, but I don't want to make it obvious that I find him suspicious.

"So what magic do you use?" I blurt out, I watch him closely to see his reaction, all traces of stealth and cunningness out the window. He stops walking and turns towards me, his face difficult to read.

"Why do you want to know Blondie?"

"Because we're going to be fighting alongside each other so I need to know what I can count on you for," good job Lucy, that sounds believable. He takes a moment to think about this, and sighs in defeat.

"Its dragon slaying magic, I can use the same attacks that dragon can, and in my particular case it's a fire dragon," he looks back up at me, a questioning look on his face. So it does have to do with dragons, I decide not to push the subject further... _for now_. We continue to walk in silence, and it's a little awkward if I'm completely honest but I don't pay it much mind. I'm just trying to keep from slipping and sliding down the side of the mountain.

**Natsu POV:**

I know she finds me suspicious, but I decide to humor her anyway.

"Its dragon slaying magic, I can use the same attacks that dragon can, and in my particular case it's a fire dragon," I reply and wait for her reaction. She just nods her head and continues walking, a look of concentration on her face. I turn back around. Does she use magic? I want to ask her but don't really feel like going into a full interrogation or argument.

My stomach starts grumbling but I try to cover it up with a cough. I can't imagine how hungry I would've been if I hadn't eaten a portion of Lucy's meat. That was really sweet of her; I can feel my cheeks warming up at the thought of her and I instinctively look down at my feet. I need to stop these stupid feelings, they're _really_ annoying. I look back again and see her struggling to walk, her fur coat tangling her feet and obscuring her vision of the icy floor.

"If you fall down the mountain, down expect me to go after you," I scoff and face forward.

"Ha-ha, very funny _hot head_," she spits back. We walk in silence for another 45 minutes, the temperature is starting to rise and I can hear Lucy getting restless. I glance back and see the coat cradled in her arms, the fur sticking to her sweaty chest… _ohhhh sweaty chest_…. AAHHH! I need to be focused! I should take the coat from her; she looks really uncomfortable with that thing threatening to suffocate her.

"Oi Luigi! Give me that thing," I snatch the coat from her arms and immediately feel smothered by the fur, the fine hairs sticking greedily to my sweaty neck, but a sweet look of relief washes over her face. She puts her loose hair into a ponytail and continues walking up the slope, her sword slapping her thigh with every step she takes. She stops once she notices that I'm not walking, just staring at her. What an odd sight I must be, a blue cat sitting on my head, a ball of fur in my arms and a curious and admiring look in my eyes.

"What are you staring at hot head?" she rests her hand on her hip and leans forward questioningly. _Big mistake_. I have a full view of her breasts and that sassy position she's in isn't helping her case either. She looks… really hot.

"What are yo- Oh my god! You pervert!" she pulls up her top and spins around, once again facing the trail.

"I am _not_ a pervert! How am I supposed to look anywhere else when they're literally in my face!" I yell in my defense as I walk quickly to catch up with her.

"It's not my fault! I didn't choose this clothes!" She sighs in defeat and continues to look forward.

"What do you mean you didn't choose that clothes?" She looks surprised then worried, I know she's trying to think of something to excuse her slip up.

"My s-sister made me wear it, and I couldn- you know what? It's none of your business!"

"Whatever… _liar_" If she heard me she doesn't react to my comment.

"Natsu! It's _hot_!" Happy cries from the top of my head.

"Sorry buddy, there's nothing I can do," I pat his head sympathetically, and get a curious look from Lucy.

"Well you're gonna be hotter if you're around _him, _he's a furnace! Come with me!" she stretches her arms and puts on a warm smile. Happy flies from my head into her embrace and they trudge on ahead of me. Happy is _my_ partner. _My_ nakama. Who does she think she is? Taking Happy from me like that!

Whatever, at least he won't have a heat stroke, like I'm about to with this fucking coat.

*****Several Hours Later*****

It's cold again, and Lucy is once again wrapped in her coat, completely obscured by the fur. She looks like a walking hairball. _Gross_. We're almost at Wayedge, it's just past this hill, in the valley…

The kingdom of Wayedge swims into view and I begin to recall memories I had made in the different towns, with Lisanna. I feel a tearing sensation in my chest at the thought of her, I _still_ don't know what I did wrong, or how I failed her. I look over at Lucy and her expression is priceless. It's enough to make me forget about Lisanna for now.

She has a huge smile on her face and her eyes are completely lit up with wonder and awe. She looks like an innocent child, with all that excitement and joy; I wait a moment, letting her enjoy the view before snapping her back to the present.

"Luigi! We have to go to the castle before nightfall! Let's go!" I grab her wrist and start making my way down the hill and into the valley.

"It's so beautiful," she whispers. I look back at her and that same wondrous expression is still painted on her pretty little face.

**This chapter was pretty useless and short... sorry if you hate it lol I just don't want to rush into the story and I think it's important to show the development of Natsu's feelings towards Lucy, but other than that this chapter basically sucked so sorry about that! AND IM REALIZING HOW OOC THEY ARE BUT I PROMISE THEY WILL BE NORMAL IN A BIT! Btw I wrote this yesterday and I realized it's kind of like the scene from this week's episode when they get stuck in that cave! MUAHAHAHA!**

**I hope you all have a wonderful night! I love you guys! Peace and Blessings my little zits! xx **

**-****_Bella_**


	8. Shower Games

**Lucy POV:**

Wayedge is small but _very_ beautiful, the tiny houses lined down a thin but busy road, merchants selling everything from jewelry to smoked pig. In between the tall tents are stands of street performers; tin bowls protruding begging for some form of credit on their publicized talent.

"Wow" I breath out as we continue down the street. Natsu's hand is still clamped on my wrist and I'm a little reluctant to tell him to let go but he's holding on so tight that I can feel my hand going limp.

"Natsu? My hand is hurting," I seem to have pulled him out of a trance because his once glazed eyes are now clouded with confusion as he looks down at his hand wrapped like a vice around my wrist.

"Sorry," he mumbles and slowly lets go of my arm. His expression is sad and a bit longing; he keeps glancing at different stores and restaurants, his gaze lingering as we walk passed them. He continues walking ahead of me but I grab the edge of his scarf and pull him back.

"Natsu? Are you okay? You can tell me you know," I say softly, afraid to strike a nerve. He turns back slowly; a look of complete annoyance on his face, but behind it all I see is sorrow.

"I'm _fine_ so leave me alone, and its not like I would tell _you_ anyway," he spat. The disgust in his voice makes me shrink back, an excruciating pain in my chest.

"Meet me at the castle, I need to see something. Happy stay with her," he mumbles and stalks off in another direction. _Ouch_. Happy looks up at me apologetically.

"It's not your fault, its Lisanna. They used to come here on vacation and it just brings up bad memories," he says sympathetically while jumping into my arms. I feel another stab of pain. _Lisanna_. I don't even know why I feel this way. I'm sure she was a really nice girl and I have no right to be jealous. I don't even know Natsu, and it's pretty obvious he hates my guts.

I pull Happy closer to my chest and sigh. I just want to get this shit over with so I can go back to my boring life in the real world where I don't annoy adorable boys with pink hair and their blue cats. I look up at the highest part of the village and see a castle casting its long shadow on half of the town and begin making my way towards it, trying desperately too keep the pain in my chest at bay.

**Natsu POV:**

It's un-fucking-bearable.

I can't turn anywhere without remembering _something_ Lisanna and I did together. Oh look it's the shop where I bought her flowers _everyday_ for two weeks. How fucking wonderful. And over there! I took her to see a puppet show! Wait a minute is that the restaurant that I took her to when I confessed to her? _Whoopee_. I feel another sharp pain in my heart as I recall what I said to Lucy. She must hate me so much, I'm such an asshole to her, and she's still so sweet to me. What sucks is the reason why I was so upset with Lucy, it wasn't even her fault, I was mad at myself. Mad because when she asked me if I was okay I wanted to grab her and hold her and tell her everything.

About my father.

About Lisanna.

About this whole fucking continent and all its stupid secrets.

About _me_.

I wanted to keep her in my arms and apologize for hurting her, and I still do. I snapped at her because I felt guilty, like I was betraying Lisanna. Lucy never deserved that. Lucy doesn't deserve any of the shit I'm giving her. I pull at my hair in frustration as I make my way towards the palace. Hopefully we can get this key fast and get out of here before I loose my mind.

**Lucy POV:**

"Who are you and what business do you have here?" A guard asks while poking my chest harshly with the butt of his spear. I open my mouth to reply but quickly close it when I hear panting behind me. I turn too see a disheveled Natsu, struggling to get words out as he calms his breathing.

"She's with me," He puffs out.

"And you are?" the guard asks with the same arrogance in his voice.

"I am Natsu Dragneel," Natsu answers, challenging him.

"My apologies Mr. Dragneel, he's new here!" The guard to the left stutters out as he tries to excuse his comrades behavior. Mr. Dragneel? What the hell?

"It's alright!" Natsu smiles warmly, giving me a full view of his sharp fangs. As we pass through the doors he ruffles the rookie guards hair, and smiles at him. Is this the real Natsu? Is he _always_ this playful?

Natsu weaves through the palace with ease, turning back occasionally to check if I'm following him. Okay he's been here really often. We arrive at a huge domed room; the walls decorated with large murals and mosaics of different kings and queens, dragons and magic. Different stories etched into every corner of the room, begging for attention of all who enter. I let out a soft sigh, I would love to stay here and admire it all, but I know I can't, I have an objective. In the far end of the room sits the King and Queen. Their thrones side by side and equally gleaming in the light that streams through the windows.

"Your majesties," Natsu says seriously and bows, I take a second to realize the situation and follow him, bowing my head down in respect.

"Please Natsu, stand. There are no formalities between us," the King laughs as Natsu straightens and I follow suit. I need to ask him about this later, everything from the guard, to the familiarity with the palace, to _this_ is getting suspicious. I need to know what's going on and whom exactly I'm traveling with.

"So Natsu are you gonna introduce us to your new friend? Speaking of… how's Lisanna?" The Queen asks sweetly, completely oblivious to Natsu's reaction. He stiffens for a second, but quickly composes himself and puts on his toothy grin once again.

"Lisanna and I aren't together anymore," he smiles sadly.

"Oh, I am so sorry!" The Queen exclaims, covering her mouth in surprise.

"Well you seem to be doing just fine, I mean look at this one! She's a real beauty, and is she handy with that sword Natsu?!" The king laughs as he gestures towards me. I feel a bit uncomfortable under everyone's gaze so I nod my head in respect then stare at my feet.

"N-n-no! She isn't m-, we aren-!" Natsu stutters out, but I step up to put him out of his misery.

"My name is Lucy Heartfilia, Natsu and I are strictly on business terms but I am honored to make your acquaintance in such an informal situation, and I do apologize for the intrusion," I speak loud enough for them to hear me and bow once again.

"Please dear, stand. I am Bisca and this is my husband Alzack. You're a very well spoken young lady. Where are you from?" Bisca asks curiously. I glance at Natsu and he is staring at the floor, a look of pain and confusion on his face. Oh well, no help there. I turn back to the Queen.

"Not from around here your Highness," I decide to leave it vague, it's safer that way.

"So is there any particular reason why you're gracing us with your presence this evening?" the King smiles.

"Well we need the key, _your_ key" Natsu says, his tone serious now. The King and Queens smiles fade and they glance at each other quickly before turning their attention back to us.

"You're trying to open the Dragons Gate? Whatever for?" The King asks wearily.

"We would rather keep that information a secret. If you don't mind your Majesty, you can trust that it is not for the wrong reasons. We accept whatever task you give us," Natsu answers confidently. I glance at him, he looks strong and determined, a stray hair falls onto his eye and my fingers are itching to put it back into place. To run them through that head of pink hair, but my hands stay firm at my sides.

"I understand and due to the fact that it's you I won't ask questions," The King responds warningly.

"Thank you your Highness," Natsu and I reply in unison. I glance at him as he turns to me, and I do the most childish thing… I stick my tongue out at him. I can hear the King laughing at our little exchange, along with a few soft laughs being suppressed by the queen.

"You're task will be to retrieve something we've lost in the storage room. I'm sure you've noticed the extreme changes in the weather…" the Queen speaks softly.

"Hasn't it always been that way?" Natsu asks confused.

"No it hasn't. Six years ago our daughter dropped an item into the storage chute. The item is a magic globe that can control the weather here at Wayedge. By spinning the globe and placing it at a certain angle the temperature and season will change, but ever since she's dropped it the weather has been going crazy. It's probably been rolling around the storage room for six years, and we've sent people to look for it but they get lost down there and never return. We lost hope, but if you want the key then that is your task. Maybe you can return things to normal." The King finishes explaining. Oh it can't be that hard!

"We accept, thank you for the opportunity. If you could just point us in the direction of the storage ro-"

"Good heavens dear not now! You three will rest first and begin your search tomorrow after breakfast! The maids will lead you to your rooms," The Queen smiles and calls on her maids. One in particular walks up to the Queen and whispers something in her ear.

"Oh boy! Well, Natsu dear it seems Lucy and you will be sharing a bedroom!" she smiles shyly.

"E-Excuse me?" he stutters out.

"I am terribly sorry but half of the palace rooms are under renovation and the other half are lent out to families whose homes were destroyed during last weeks blizzard. We really need this globe found. Please help and we do apologize for the inconvenience, the room you'll be sharing is a bit… eccentric" her cheeks burn a bright red and she looks over at her husband in desperation, but he just chuckles at her reaction.

"It's no inconvenience your Majesty! You're hospitality is greatly appreciated!" I bow once again and leave the throne room with a final smile as Natsu, Happy and I follow the maids down the hall.

"I'm not sleeping on the floor," Natsu mumbles under his breath.

"Well me either! So it looks like we're gonna be extra cozy tonight!" I smile sarcastically. We both groan, neither of us looking forward to the events ahead. Well I'm looking forward to it a _little_, but no one has to know that!

**Natsu POV:**

Sleeping with Lucy? _Dear Lord lend me your strength. _ My cheeks burn just thinking about it, but then I remember what she said…

"…Natsu and I are strictly on business terms…"

Ouch. Well I deserve it, and she has every right to hate me, but that doesn't mean I hate her. She handled the situation in the throne room so well. I wonder where she learned to speak like that. It was kind of hot actually. _Chill Natsu…_ I glance over at her; she looks really tired, we haven't really slept in days. Even with fatigue painted on her face she looks beautiful, her sword slapping her thigh, and Happy quietly resting in her arms as we continue to walk down the hall in silence.

"Here we are, there are fresh towels and clothes, along with blankets and pillows in the closet. If you need anything at all just call for one of us and we will attend you," the maid smiles sweetly and opens the door leading us inside.

_Holy shit. _Its gonna be a _long_ night.

Bisca was _not_ kidding when she said the room was eccentric… This is some _crazy_ shit. I hear Lucy gasp in surprise, earning an apologetic look from the maid.

"We are terribly sorry about the inconvenience, please make yourselves comfortable and have a good evening!" the small and very perky maid squeals as she shuts the door behind her.

"Uhhh, maybe I _don't_ mind the floor…" Lucy murmurs as she glances around the room. Let me explain, this room _must_ be Alzack and Bisca's sex room, because this shit is naughty!

Let me start with the bed, it's huge, like extra extra king sized. The white silk sheets are pulled to perfection along with the velvet blankets folded neatly in a pile on the corner of the bed. There is a metal headboard running along the back, and I'm pretty sure there is a set of handcuffs clamped on one corner. There is a fucking mirror on the roof. A mirror! And off to the side of the bed is a large chest, the word _Toys_ inscribed in perfect handwriting.

Well we definitely won't be opening that. Oh I forgot to mention, there's a fucking pole and it's smack in the middle of the room, right in front of the monster bed.

Now the bathroom is the _real_ treat. It's completely, 100% out in the open. The shower walls are transparent, along with a beautiful glass sink and marble bathtub and toilet, but best of all the bathroom walls are glass, and there's _no_ door. You can see the whole bathroom from wherever you stand in the room. I walk past the strip pole and drop my backpack onto the counter.

"So which one of you is gonna shower first!" Happy pipes up with a sly smile of his face. My eyes trail up to Lucy, whose grip on Happy just tightened considerably. Her face is _tomato_ red, and she's intentionally avoiding my gaze.

"I'll go first. I need to shower I smell like old fur and cat shit," she mumbles and then sighs in disappointment.

"Come here!" She yells out of nowhere and pulls me towards her using my scarf. She yanks it off and in seconds it's around my head, and obscuring my vision. She starts tugging me towards what I presume to be the bed. I feel something cold on my wrists and then I hear the _clink_ of a lock.

"What the fuck did you do Lucy!" I tug on my hands but all I get is the unsatisfying clang of metal straining against the headboard. This is really hot and I can feel my pants tightening uncomfortably.

"You fucking handcuffed me to the bed! You crazy bitch!" I pull on the restraints but fail to get anywhere. I can't see her or touch her but I can smell her and I know she's standing right in front of me. It's driving me crazy.

"Sorry Natsu but I can't have you peeking while I'm… indecent. I'll take them off when I finish then it'll be your turn to tie me u-" she stops talking and I can hear her hand slap against her mouth as she realizes how bad that sounded.

"Not that you're gonna tie me up! I didn-" I shush her rambling with a smirk.

"Don't worry sweetheart, I know you look forward to it," I arch my eyebrow and smile evilly. Oh I would pay _big_ money to see her expression right now!

"You're a pig!" She snarls.

"You like it Lucy!" Happy sings.

"Oh shut up you dumb cat! Go to sleep!" I can hear her tossing Happy onto the bed and he must be too tired to argue because in seconds I hear his soft snoring. I hear her soft footsteps retreating into the bathroom and the water turning on. I know she's undressing because her scent just got stronger, a lot stronger.

God she smells so good; it's not any scent in particular, it's just _her_. I hear her step into the shower and let out a sigh; that must be one hot shower because I can feel the steam. I start pulling on the edge of my scarf with my mouth, pulling it down and off my head.

Oh… my… god.

The steam unfortunately fogged up the glass a bit but I can still see her; and she is so fucking beautiful. Her curves are driving me insane and all I can do is shuffle uncomfortably under the handcuffs and the fact that I'm restrained just turns me on even more. I'm such a pervert. I glance away in embarrassment, determined not to look again. I shouldn't do that to her, she obviously wouldn't like it.

I can hear her singing softly and I smile. I can't resist the urge and I look back towards the bathroom. The fog has gotten thicker and all I see is her silhouette, but that's really all that's needed. She's swaying her hips softly, going along with the music in her head.

I hear the water turn off as she steps out of the shower. Oh god my blindfold is off! I start moving my head in different directions trying to get it back up to my eyes. I look like a fool. Like a _damn_ fool. I manage to get it to cover my eyes somewhat, and right on time because I can hear her coming out of the bathroom. I feel her fingers skim across my skin as she unlocks the handcuffs and pulls off the scarf.

"Good job, your turn because you stink!" she crinkles her nose and climbs into bed quickly, but not before I caught a glimpse of what she was wearing. A silky, short black nightgown with lacy and frilly edges, and it looks _so_ nice on her. She pulls the silky covers up to her cheeks in embarrassment.

"It's the only female night clothes I could find, everything else was worse," she sighs and buries her head into the pillow.

"Where am I gonna sleep?" I growl at her.

"On the floor genius," she snaps back, snuggling deeper into the sheets, I want to snuggle with her. My pants continue to tighten on me and my cheeks redden in embarrassment. I can't let her see me like this.

"No" I state simply and walk passed her into the bathroom.

"Aren't you going to blindfold me?" she calls after me curiously.

"I know you're too chicken to look, but if you want me too I could" I say confidently.

"Who would want to see you naked anyway!" she calls back with the same confidence and I can't help but smirk. _Watch me all you want… I'll just be returning the favor._

**Lucy POV:**

"Who would want to see you naked anyway!?" I yell out confidently. _Oh I would, I would so love to see you naked!_ I nuzzle my head in the pillow in embarrassment and shame, but I can't help myself, this guy is ridiculously hot. I can hear the water turning on and I fight the urge to turn and watch.

_Don't Lucy! That's disgusting and so unladylike!_

But he's so hot and when am I ever going to get an opportunity like this again!

_Lucy NO! It-_

I spin over onto my right side quickly, silencing the nagging voice in my head and getting a clear view of the bathroom. Oh dear lord, Mavis help me.

There's steam but not enough that I can't see him clearly. His muscles flex and strain as he runs his hands through his wet hair and his legs are lean and toned and completely perfect. The water and soap suds are running down his perfect abs down to his perfect V-line and just driving me completely insane. I can feel my heart beating like a drum, a drum that won't stop and won't quiet down for anyone or anything. He turns around giving me a full view of his back and ass, which is perky and adorable by the way.

"Like what you see Blondie?" he calls from the hot shower. My cheeks burn and I flip over once again burying my red face into the silk pillow, my heart still pounding.

The shower turns off after a while and I can hear his footsteps coming closer. I chew the inside of my cheek and close my eyes. I desperately try to calm my breathing, and maybe make it look like I've been asleep this whole time. I hear him stop in front of me and sigh. Does he really think I'm asleep? I feel his hand on my cheek and I stiffen. _What the? What is going on here!_ His fingers trail along my face down to my neck and stop at a stray strand of hair, which he cautiously and tenderly puts back into place. He starts running his fingers through my hair softly; like I could break any second. It's intoxicating. _He's_ intoxicating. His smell, his touch, his body, his _everything_. I'm getting drunk off his presence and I've never felt anything like this before, and it honestly scares the shit out of me.

He pulls his hand away and the absence of heat makes me shiver. I feel another blanket thrown over me then silence. I open my eyes just enough to see in the dim lighting, he's pulling on some clean boxers and making his way towards the couch at the far end of the room; the one by the strip pole.

"Natsu?" I mumble groggily.

"Lucy! You're awake!?" He shouts in surprise. I look at him closely and it's a bit hard to tell in the faint lighting but I can see a soft pink blush brushed across his cheeks.

"Hardly, but you don't have to sleep on the couch. The bed is big enough for all of us to fit comfortably," I whisper, not wanting to talk any louder out of fear that my voice will fail me.

"Why are you whispering?" he asks confused but in a whisper as well, unaware of what game I was playing at.

"Uhh… Happy is sleeping and I don't want to wake him!" I murmur back.

"Oh right" he nods his head and carefully walks over to the other side of the bed. I watch him come closer and he watches me watch him. It's a really awkward stare down and I don't dare look at him for another second; I turn over again, burying my face in the silk.

I feel the bed sink on his side and the covers stretch to cover him up. We're both under the same sheets and all I'm wearing is this very frilly, very short, and very silky dress that doesn't cover anything and he's just wearing those boxers. Plus his body temperature is rising, and even though we're feet apart I can still feel the overwhelming heat.

I look up at the mirror on the roof and see him turned on his side, a look of pain and inner conflict on his face. I wonder what's wrong. I want to help him but I know he wouldn't tell me. He hates me. I lye on my back and just stare at my reflection in the mirror, I debate whether or not to say something to him. I don't think I could handle another nasty comment; I could barely stand the last one. Whatever.

"Hey Natsu?" I whisper carefully, still staring at my reflection but glancing at his through the corner of my eye.

"Yes?" he responds tiredly, a sigh escaping his lips. God this was a bad idea; he obviously doesn't want to talk to me.

"Forget it" I turn on my side and face the wall.

"What were you gonna say?"

"Nothing, just forget it"

"No, I want to know now! You can't just do that shit!" he sounds annoyed now.

"I was just gonna say that if you ever want to talk, I'm here. I know you don't feel well but you don't have to deal with it alone. If not me then at least talk to Happy. He worries about you. That's all I was gonna say" I whisper back, afraid of his response. He sighs and shifts his weight so he's lying on his back, facing the mirror and I can feel his eyes burning into me.

"Okay, goodnight" his words have a certain finality in them. They weren't harsh like I was expecting but they were a bit cold and reserved, but I think that's the best I'm gonna get out of him. I close my eyes and eventually drift off to sleep.

**Natsu POV:** _(starting from a few minutes ago)_

_Oh I_ _know__you're looking at me Lucy._ _I turn around giving her a nice view of my back; I can hear her breath hitching in her throat. I stifle a laugh as I finish up in the shower. When finish up and walk over to her I notice she isn't moving. Asleep?_

_She's asleep. Damn._ _My eyes follow the curve of her cheek to her neck, all the way down to the curve of her hips and chest, hidden but still defined by the thin silk sheets clinging to her body. She is so beautiful. It makes my heart burn and without realizing it my hand is stroking her cheek, down her neck and into her hair as I absentmindedly caress the girl before me. I feel her shiver as I pull my hand back in embarrassment. I grab another blanket from the stack in the corner and cover her up._ _I walk over to the drawers and dig for some clean clothes. I find some new boxers and pull them on quickly._

_"Natsu?" she whispers groggily._

_"Lucy! You're awake!?" I shout in complete surprise, I can feel my cheeks heating up and I'm grateful for the shity lighting; but holy shit was she awake when I was touching her? God I sound like a creep. I_ _really really__hope not because it will ruin everything._

_Why the fuck can't I learn to control myself! I've only known this girl for a few days and I'm already feeling all weird when I'm around her._

_"Hardly, but you don't have to sleep on the couch. The bed is big enough for all of us to fit comfortably," she whispers softly._

_"Why are you whispering?"_

_"Uhh… Happy is sleeping and I don't want to wake him!"_

_"Oh right" I nod my head and walk over to my side of the bed._

_I pull the covers so I can get under them and catch a glimpse of her exposed legs. Oh man. We're under the same covers and neither of us are wearing much clothing._ _I turn to my side and try to ignore the loud thumping in my chest. I don't understand how I could feel this way towards someone I just met. It took me__years__to realize my feelings for Lisanna, and even then it was hard to maintain a relationship with her at first, but Lucy is_ _completely__different. I don't want to be more than four feet away from her. Which is about how much space is between us right now._

_"Hey Natsu?" I hear her whisper._

_"Yes?" I try to sound annoyed, but it's getting harder and harder to act like an asshole around her. I hate not being myself and worse I hate treating her like shit._

_"Forget it" I feel her shuffle to her side as she mumbles in disappointment. _

_"What were you gonna say?" I urge her, I have to admit I'm curious._

_"Nothing, just forget it"_

_"No, I want to know now! You can't just do that shit!" I snap in annoyance, I really do hate when people do that._

_"I was just gonna say that if you want to talk I'm here. I know you don't feel well and you don't have to deal with it alone. If not me then at least talk to Happy. He worries about you. That's all I was gonna say" she whispers, I can tell she's nervous but I didn't expect her to sound so…_ scared_._

_Is she scared of me? Has it gotten to that point?_ _I sigh and shift onto my back so I'm facing the mirror and I watch her stare nervously at the wall._

_"Okay. Goodnight" I mumble, I see her body deflate as she closes her eyes and drifts off to sleep._

Is she really that worried about me? Does she care that much? Maybe I _should_ talk to Happy about how I feel, he is my best friend and she's right when she said he worries about me. I haven't been taking his feelings into consideration and I really should. I'll tell him everything tomorrow.

I glance at him; he's sleeping comfortably at the foot of the bed, a soft smile on his face. I look back at Lucy and feel my heart beat harder again. Will I ever be able to look at her without getting like this? It's just the back of her head and you'd swear I ran 6 miles by how fast my heart is going. I continue to stare at her, and eventually my eyes flutter close and I fall asleep.

**.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.**

**I really enjoyed writing it, just because I obsess over the idea of their sexual tension and awkward stare downs! Wow Natsu sounds like a creep lol but its okay because its only for Lucy!**

**I hope you all have a beautiful day and I will see you all soon!**

**Peace and Blessings. xx**

**-Bella**


	9. Hands Off

**This chapter may be a trigger for some of you, It deals with attempt of rape so if that makes you uncomfortable then please feel free to skip that part. I love you all, have a beautiful day.**

***Lucy POV***

It's so warm. I snuggle my face further into my pillow, desperate for the heat it's giving off. My fingers softly skim across smooth muscle and rest on a sharp carved collarbone, its curve inviting the palm of my hand, I hear a soft groan.

WOAH WOAH WOAH! WHAT!?

My eyes snap open and I take in my surroundings; my head rests on Natsu's bare chest, my hand lays on his collarbone, and our legs are intricately entwined, but the _worst_ part is his hand rests peacefully on the small of back. My eyes move up cautiously to his face. There's a soft blush on his cheeks and he looks younger, so much younger and sweeter. He could pass as a child. I begin to pull away, not wanting him to wake up and see the position were in, out of fear he will never let me live it down.

I push off his chest softly but get pulled back down and brought up to his chest. His large hands wrap around my waist and he snuggles his head into my hair, his lips brush against my bare neck. His hand skims against my skin and I shiver, but come back to my senses and slip through his tight grip. I shuffle away from him desperately, my face a startling deep shade of red.

I need to change and get out of here! I need to clear my head! I climb down from the monster bed and tip toe to the bathroom, taking a quick shower and putting on some clean clothes. Thank god the day clothes isn't as bad as the skimpy little dresses that claim to be pajamas. I slip on some black shorts and a pink tank top; I debate whether or not to take my sword. I'm only going to walk around the town for a bit, I'll be okay.

I slip out of the room and let the door close quietly behind me.

**-IN THE TOWN-**

Okay Lucy, why didn't you push him away as soon as you saw what you were doing?

Did I like it? I kind of did if I'm completely honest with myself. How did we get like that in the first place? Was it him or me?

I pass a small shop, the smell of baking bread making my mouth water. Maybe I'll think clearly if I have some food in my stomach.

***Natsu POV***

I stretch my hand out and it falls absently on the cool sheets, with no soft tender skin to cushion its fall. What was I expecting to touch? The absence of her warmth makes me shiver, and I pull the sheets over my head. Did she sleep in my arms? I vaguely remember the smell of her hair, and her fingers brushing across my chest. I feel my face heating up in embarrassment, and my heart beating like a fucking drum.

Oh god! I'm supposed to be pushing her away! What did I do last night? I groan in frustration and throw the sheets off. My eyes scan the room and the lack of Lucy's nagging and adorable face worries me. Where is she?

"Natsu It's cold!" Happy cries, sleep still clinging to him as he struggles to open his eyes.

"Sorry buddy, I'll get us some breakfast!" I rub behind his ear as I pull the sheets over him. He sighs in satisfaction and quickly falls asleep.

After a quick shower and some fresh clothes I walk out of the room. In the hallway I pass some guards and decide to ask them about Lucy.

"Have you seen a blonde girl pass by here?"

"Yes, she was granted permission to go out into the town," he says, never looking my way, still staring blankly ahead.

I mumble a thank you as I make my way towards the front gates.

"Oi Natsu!" I turn and see Alzack calling me from down the hall.

"Al!" I jog towards him, meeting him halfway.

"So did you enjoy the room last night?" he winks. I groan and look down at my feet, desperately trying to hide my blush.

"Ahhh you did didn't you! She's a nice one!" He pats my shoulder encouragingly.

"Don't talk about her that way!" I growl.

"Relax, I was only kidding,"

"Since when are you so obnoxious and obsessed with sex. You used to be terrified of all that stuff!"

"Well I wasn't terrified, it just made me nervous, but once I talked to Bisca about it and after we used that room a few times, I got over it." I glance at him; he looks happy and very much in love, even after years of marriage.

"I'm gonna go get Lucy, I'll meet you in throne room if that's okay? You're _highness_?" I smile at him.

"Shut up you little shit!" He ruffles my already messy hair, and pinches my nose.

"Hey I'm not a kid!" I yell in defense as I push him off.

"Okay sure, go get your girl, see you!" he turns on his heel and disappears around the corner, my objection still hanging on my lips.

I sigh and walk out into the town, searching the crowds for a loud, sarcastic blonde, it should be easy right? I walk passed an alley next to a bakery and hear an interesting conversation.

"Bitch you should know better than to walk around in those little shorts and not expect this to happen!" a man in a worn out red cap growls at… Lucy!? I take a step forward but stop when I see her spit in his face.

"You should learn to control yourself! A woman shouldn't have to adjust herself to accommodate a man! Especially a piece of shit like you!" she kicks him in the stomach and turns away from him, but gets yanked back and pushed onto the floor. Her hand shoots to her side where her sword should have been. Idiot, how could she leave the palace unarmed? He slaps her across the face and the look of pain and panic on her face while the man reaches down to pull at her shirt is enough to send me off the edge. My fists ignite in flames and I run forward. In a flash I rip him off of her and throw his thrashing body against the wall, he hits it with a sickening crunch.

"You piece of shit! Don't you dare touch her!" I growl as I kick him in the stomach. He starts coughing blood and I kick him again, and again, and again.

"Natsu!" Lucy calls breathlessly. I turn to look at her and my breath hitches in my throat. I didn't realize he hit her so hard. She has a nasty cut under her left eye, and some bruises are starting to form along her cheekbone and upper arms. She has tears in her eyes and I can tell she's struggling to keep them from falling. Fury consumes me once again and I turn back to the man lying unconscious on the ground. I continue to kick him, each one stronger than the last.

"Natsu please!" I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn to see Lucy, tears and blood streaming down her face.

"Please, don't do something your going to regret because of me," she whispers. I nod silently as I absentmindedly wipe the blood from her face with my thumb, my fingers skimming across her cheek. I pull away as I see her hand leave my shoulder fall back next to her, the absence of her touch churns my stomach painfully, reminding me of the events that took place last night. I turn away, a deep blush on my cheeks.

"Natsu? Why ar-" I turn towards her and see her shocked expression. Her cheeks are redder than mine and her eyes turn to the floor.

"I'm sorry about this morning! I don't know if you were awake but that was out of line and I apologize!" she bows quickly, still hiding her red face.

"I'm sorry too." I mumble as I scratch the back of my neck. This is so awkward. She looks back up at me, her face serious.

"Thank you for saving me," her gaze is intimidating, I nod and turn around, heading back to the street.

"Don't forget your sword next time idiot!" I call back at her.

"SHUT UP! CAN'T YOU JUST SAY YOU'RE WELCOME!?" she yells and I have to hide my smile.

"Hurry up Blondie we have a job to do!" I turn back and smile at her. She stops walking and looks genuinely surprised, but in an instant her expression is replaced with a joyful grin.

"Yeah!" She grabs my hand and pulls me towards the castle.

**-Throne Room-**

"Okay so they will take you down to the storage room, if you get lost there's a very small chance of you coming back out, so be careful!" Bisca motions towards the guards waiting patiently by the doors. We nod and follow our guides down the hall, with a final smile at my old friends the throne room doors clang shut.

***Lucy POV***

It feels like we've been walking for hours, when in reality it's only been a few minutes.

"Why is this taking so long?" Happy whines.

"Stop complaining!" I mumble as I roll my eyes at the cat's laziness.

"Here we are," the guards stop in front of a massive wooden door, slowly opening it and guiding us inside

"Remember, try not to get lost! Oh and if you come across on of Princess Asuka experiments… just run the other way!" and with that they flee the room and close the door behind them.

"Well then we better get started!" Natsu shouts cheerily and starts walking in a random direction, Happy mindlessly following. He is a completely different person, he's happy and childish and _nice_. I don't know what changed but I'm not complaining. I snap back to the present and assess the situation.

"Natsu! Wait!" I grab on to his vest and pull him back.

"We need to think, we need to make sure we can make it back to this door safely, and we can't split up you idiot!" I slap him lightly across the head and cross my arms in defiance.

"I didn't know there were monsters down here!" I groan as I glance around the room. Well it's more like a city? I can't really see anything that's not right in front of me, which consists of junk, junk and more junk, but judging from the arc of the roof this place is impossibly big. We're definitely gonna have to be careful in here, especially if there are weird monsters running around. I'm really glad I have my sword and gear back, it was a mistake to leave it behind and it will _never_ happen again. I glance at Natsu and quickly turn away once I feel my cheeks warming up. He saved me and all I could do was thank him, I'm falling more and more into his debt.

"Okay what do you want to do then Luigi?" he turns towards me, a serious look on his face.

"It's Lucy you idiot!... Maybe we could use some string and leave some behind as we go along so we won't lose track of where we've been? How's that?" I sigh in defeat.

"That could work! Happy look for string!" Natsu turns to his nakama and the two begin digging in the sea of old clothes, paintings, books and more.

"Found some!" Happy emerges from a particularly large pile with a huge wad of purple string scrunched up in his little paw.

"Good Happy!" I give him a high five as I take the string from him. Natsu reappears with a dirty sock hanging from one of the spikes on his head, but I decide not to tell him about it.

We start looking from left to right, looking thoroughly in every pile on our way around the room. I carefully leave behind some string as we go along, staying a bit behind to make sure Happy and Natsu don't accidently cut, burn or eat it, considering they're capable of doing so.

"Hey look at me!" I glance over at Happy; he stands tall on a pile of gold, a crown placed limply on his small head.

"I'm the king of the world!" he laughs.

"Happy! Take this a bit more seriously!" I whine as I bend down to rummage through another mountain of junk.

"Lucy don't move," I freeze at Natsu's command.

"What happ-"

"Shhhh, don't talk," he whispers. I can hear him creeping closer, and that's when I see it. The creature that I can only guess is one of Princess Asuka's experiments, is pink with a large spiderlike figure and the head of a white teddy bear with a purple heart shaped nose is haphazardly sown on to its body. I stifle a scream, how could a little girl create something like _this_? Natsu is a foot away from me and he continues to creep towards the creature, trying desperately to tread forward unnoticed.

"Natsu wait… come here," I whisper as calmly as I can. He slowly backs up in my direction until we're shoulder to shoulder, and then he realizes why I called him back. The creature slowly crawls towards us along with his army of friends emerging from the shadows. I feel Natsu chuckle and I turn to him in disbelief.

"Now I'm fired up!" He grins as his fists ignite with a blazing light, and all I can do is smile back at him. This is the boy who saved me today; it feels like a lifetime ago… I won't make the same mistake again; I don't need to be protected! My hand shoots to my side and I unsheathe my sword, making Natsu draw his breath.

"I still don't know how you manage to carry that thing around," Natsu mumbles and takes off into the swarm of spider teddy bears, I smile softly and run after him.

***.*.*.***

**I know this chapter is really random and shity and short. It jumps from one thing to another but I needed some NaLu moments. I've had a really horrible week and the next chapter will be much longer.**

**If you have any questions or comments please let me know! I love you all, Peace and Blessings! xx**


	10. Trust Me

**Sorry for the long wait! **

***.*.*.***

***Natsu POV***

When I say a girl can fight its because she can, and Lucy can _fight_. I stand a few feet behind her just watching as she catches her breath. We obliterated all those ugly little spider shits, I took half and Lucy the other, I didn't think she could handle so many but I didn't hear her complain once, her movements were clean and graceful.

"Lucy you good?" I watch her chest heave rapidly, greedy for oxygen. She just nods her head and stays silent; the silence drags on but it's mainly because we're afraid to attract any more weird experiments, at least that's what I tell myself.

"Let's keep going," she whispers and slowly bends down to pick up the yarn. I watch her movements carefully, they're forced and she seems much more exhausted then I thought. There has to be something wrong.

"Lucy are yo-" her head shoots to the left and she tenses up; her sword falls from her fingers, landing on the floor with a loud clang.

"Who's there? Come out already!" she yells in desperation, her voice cracking in fear. She falls to her knees and clutches at her side. I swiftly make my way towards her and bend down to face her.

"There's no one here Luce, it's just us," I whisper cautiously afraid of startling her further. She weakly lifts her hand and points straight ahead, her eyes locked on a figure that apparently I can't make out, all I see is darkness and a mess of junk.

"Luce there's no one there! You're really worrying me," I lower her shaking hand with one final glance at the supposed figure. I look down at her left hand, its still clutching at her side. I carefully remove it and suck in a breath; she's heavily wounded with a broken spider leg protruding from the side of her stomach. How did I overlook this before?

"Lucy why didn't you say anything?" I groan as I lay her on her back.

"I'm gonna look for some medicine or something," Happy calls softly from a pile of what seems to be medical supplies mixed in with other random objects. I turn back to Lucy and see the terror in her eyes, so what ever she saw scared her enough to render her speechless.

"I'm here, you don't have to be scared," I try my best to sooth her, I know for a fact that all this pent up fear is only gonna make her wound worse, she needs to relax. I rub circles into her hands and feel her breathing slow down.

"I'm gonna take a look at the wound okay?" she nods slowly as I lift her shirt above the wound. The blood is running freely down her side and pooling onto the ground, it's going to need _immediate_ attention.

"Happy, any luck?" I turn towards him and feel my heart drop when I see his grim face followed with a final shake of the head.

"Check again!" I turn back to Lucy; she's losing too much blood.

"Okay this is probably the worst thing to do but I'm gonna take the leg out and I'm gonna cauterize your wound okay? This is going to hurt _a lot_ but I need you to trust me, okay?" my hand trails up to her cheek where I softly skim her skin with my thumb.

"Okay. I trust you," her eyes bore into mine and I can't tell if she's talking about the situation at hand or something more. I shake my head and clear the thought, I need to concentrate on helping her.

"Okay I'm gonna pull it out on three… one… two… three…"

***Lucy POV***

"AAAAHHHH! OH MY GOD! THAT _HURTS_!" I clutch at the nearest thing to me, which just _happens_ to be Natsu's hand.

"I'm sorry, I'm gonna need you to hold on for a bit longer okay? This is the worst part," his eyes are so incredibly intense that all I can do to respond is nod silently. He squeezes my hand in reassurance before igniting his free hand in flames.

"Here I go, Happy hold down her feet as best as you can," I feel a small weight on my legs and I know Happy is sitting on me, trying his best to keep me under control. I'm gonna handle the pain, I can't cause them anymore trouble. I promised myself I wouldn't need protecting anymore, but look at me, in Natsu's debt once again. I close my eyes and calm my breathing as the heat intensifies. His hand never leaves mine and I squeeze as I feel the flames singeing my skin. Tears escape my eyes but I have yet to scream or thrash around, I refuse to make this harder for them. I involuntarily begin to whimper and lose focus of Natsu's face, his once concentrated expression now replaced with an odd arrangement of contorted features and lopsided limbs.

"Natsu?... Na..tsu…" Why can't he hear me? Why aren't any sounds coming out of my mouth? This pain is so unbearable; I manage to squeeze his hand one more time before it falls limply to the ground.

I can't breathe. The air feels like blood, thick and hot. My hands reach for my throat and I begin to scream when I feel _things_ crawling all over my body. I look down and see spiders running up and down my arms and legs. My scream comes out more like strained gargling and my lack of air throws me into a deeper state of panic. The spiders mingle with the bloody air and I feel their legs skimming the walls of my throat.

"Lucy…" my eyes search for the owner of the voice in the darkness but find nothing. I attempt to call out into the emptiness, but my heart drops further into my stomach when I realize that I've failed miserably yet again, a low-throated groan is all that comes out of my dry mouth.

"Lucy…" this time the source is closer; I feel a hand on my shoulder and swiftly spin around, coming face to face with a large pair of brown eyes.

"Breathe," she whispers into my ear. Suddenly the thick air is gone, the spiders quickly following suit. I fall to my knees and put my hands out to steady myself, my head hanging low in defeat. My chest heaves in relief, greedily taking in all the oxygen it was lacking seconds before.

"Thank you," I whisper weakly; I feel another tap on my shoulder and gasp when I meet the eyes of my savior once again.

"Wendy?"

"There is no time, you will be awakening soon. I came to remind you about the prophecy, don't forget it! The fate of Fiore is in your hands, please don't let Fairy Tail's deaths be in vain, you must kill the Dragon King! Do not trust Natsu, he's lying to you!" the urgency in her voice takes me aback.

"Wendy who's Fairy Tail? And who is that person I kept seeing in the storage room? Why are they following me? Why can't I trust Natsu? I still don't understand the whole prophecy! Wendy I don't know what I'm doing!" my hands fall helplessly to my sides and I hold back a sob, I will not cry. Wendy just shakes her head sympathetically.

"All in due time Lucy! I need to go for you are awakening, but remember…

_The Dragon King must be slain,_

_Or Fairy Tail will die in vain._

_The Cherry Blossoms will bloom too late,_

_And the golden girl denies her fate._

_The Seven Keys will be at grasp,_

_But will the gate unlock its clasp._

_Love will mend and sow the seams,_

_But beware the figure of dark cloaked dreams_."

Now that I think about it, I kind of understand most of it. Kill the Dragon King. I still have no clue what Fairy Tail is. Cherry Blossoms… Natsu? Golden Girl… Me? So we're going to get the seven keys but the gate still might not open? That's bullshit. Love will mend? I hope that doesn't mean Natsu and me. The figure of dark cloaked dreams has to be that person I kept seeing in the storage room; I just don't know who they are.

"Wendy I st-" her absence startles me and I glance around the now white void and receive nothing but the echo of my own voice, she's gone.

"Wendy!" the echo drags on into an intolerable shrieking and I slap my hands over my ears. The hairs on my neck begin a frantic dance, moving restlessly to the screeching music that resonates through the empty vacuum. I feel a sudden warmth spread through my body and the shrieking cries cease to bounce off the walls.

"Lucy… C'mon Luce please…" the warmth intensifies and I feel soft flames liking my skin tenderly. The heat is incredible but I have yet to feel it cause me any harm. _It feels right_. I rest my forehead into the palms of my hands and let my eyelids fall, my breathing slowing down and fully taking in the bliss of the familiar heat.

***.*.*.***

***Natsu***

"Lucy… C'mon Luce please…" I squeeze her hand and lay my forehead on hers. _I need you to wake up, please._

"Natsu let's finish wrapping her up," Happy mumbles. I nod and begin to wrap her wound in some gauze that we found. She tried so hard to handle the pain without causing a scene, she didn't scream or struggle, she just took it. Once she started whimpering I knew it was too much for her, but I couldn't stop yet, I needed to close the wound for her sake. She's been out for 2 hours and I'm worried we've been in the same spot for too long, we're completely exposed to whatever is lurking out there. I really need her to be okay.

"Happy can you get some water from my pack?" he nods and walks over to my backpack a few feet away, pulling out a canister of water. I reach for it, never letting go of Lucy's small hand. I drop the canister to the floor when I feel a weak squeeze; I turn back to look at her as her eyes flutter open. I'm greeted with a soft grateful smile and I can feel my heart beating in my throat. My nerves get the best of me and my hand begins to sweat so I pull away before she can feel it.

"Can you stand?" she responds with a soft nod and points at the fallen canister of water. I quickly reach for it and pull her up slightly, so she's sitting up and can drink without choking on the water. She leans her back against my chest for support as I cautiously bring the canister up to her lips. She gulps it down greedily but shoves it away after a second, turning her head into my arm.

"We… need… to save… water," she croaks out between heavy breaths. I grab her chin and turn her face towards my own so she can see me clearly.

"You need to get better, I have more water in my bag," her eyes are dull and I can see the exhaustion in them, but she just nods and turns back to the canister. I push it up to her mouth and tip it slightly letting the contents spill into her.

A strand of blond hair slips from her ponytail and falls into her eyes; I subconsciously grab it between my fingers and begin to twirl it. She pushes the canister away and I let go of her hair, a small blush on my cheeks; I feel her panting and I put the canister down next to me. My fingers trace patterns into her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down; she stiffens at first but then sinks into my chest. Her breaths become deeper and I can tell she's much better, I can feel her heartbeat matching my own, fast and impossibly hard. Is this as intoxicating and exciting for her as it is for me?

"I hate to interrupt your moment but we need to keep moving if we're gonna find this globe," Happy smiles knowingly. My cheeks begin to burn and I turn my face away. What am I doing? I'm supposed to be pushing her away! I'm the biggest moron in Earthland!

"I'm sorry for causing so much trouble!" she shouts in surprise and stands swiftly. Bad idea. She nearly falls over but I grab her wrist so she can steady herself. She's facing the floor but I can see the deep blush on her face and it makes me feel so much better about my own. I'm not the only one that feels this way then.

"Thank you guys for everything, I hate being so much trouble," she whispers at the floor. I scratch the back of my neck and struggle to find what to say.

"It's no trouble Lucy! We like you, especially Natsu!" Happy calls as he rubs his face against her leg. Lucy reaches down and picks him up tenderly then buries her face into his fur.

"I do not!" I stomp my foot on the ground and reach out to flick Happy, but stop mid action when the _extra_ large pile of shit next to us starts shake dangerously.

"Natsu! Look what you did! You hothead, you can't just stomp your foot down with that much force and not expect this to happen!" Lucy yells at me in disapproval, her finger inches from my face. From the top of the mound something catches my attention, but I notice it too late because within seconds it lands on my head with a nasty thud; as it bounces off it lands perfectly into Lucy's open palm.

"_How?_" Our mouths hang open in disbelief; in Lucy's hand is the globe, perfectly intact.

"YOU SEE!? I'M AWESOME!" I laugh and give her a sarcastic smirk. Never underestimate my strength and plans of action!

"Oh shut up!" she laughs and slaps my shoulder gingerly with her free hand, sending jolts of electricity through my whole body, her smile is contagious.

"Let's steady this thing," I grab the globe and begin to move it around until the miniature city is basking in a cloudless sky. She's still smiling and its so distracting that I almost drop the globe, but her smile doesn't last. Its replaced with a fearful expression and I look behind me, something back there scared her.

So she wasn't lying, because I know I saw the end of a cloak flutter off behind a corner.

***.*.*.***

**I know it was short and I took long to update! I'll try harder next time! Love you guys, goodnight! Xx**

**-Bella**


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